Hey guys/gals first post on here. I'm lookin to buy my first Audi today but am new to the import car thing. I have owned mustangs my whole life but am now lookin to buy an audi. I went to Wyotech and learned about cars and work on cars for my job so i'm not dumb. I was wondering if there were any issues with s4's i should be looking for when i test drive this car. its an 01 if that is important. Any feedback would be great. I'm looking forward to the tunability and economy of a non-v8 car
thanks, nathan

 

mileage? and if you want something that is cheap in the long run, this is not it. enjoyable , yes...

 

has 90k on it. timing belt was replaced at 80k and water pump at 72k. i test drove it today and everything seemed to be all good

 

how much are you paying for it?
I just bought an s4 few days ago 2000 with 84k miles on it. Tbelt was not replaced but i have a friend who would do it for 400 bucks so im not worrying about it.

 

Someone payed for the labor twice doing the water pump and timing belt seperately. Don't make that mistake in the future.

I did the t-belt, tensioners, cam seals, valve cover gaskets, water pump, thermostat, serpentine belt, and coolant flush all at the same time. Now I know it's good till like 170k miles. Did them both at 85k miles.

 

check and make sure the turbos dont lag whine etc. make sure you have as moany maintenance records as possible. check the sunroof and make sure it doesnt creak or anything. thats a common audi problem not just specific to the s4. on that same note check all the window regulators by rolling all the windows up and down a couple times and see if there is any creaking or cracking sounds. brake hard when your test driving to see what condition the abs is in. generally doesnt have to many problems but for whatever reason the last couple that i have looked at havent really been taking care of brakes. check the control arms as well because they have a tendancy to go out at like 120xxx. after that just make sure all the hoses are in good condition and that the oil has been changed with full synthetic every 3000 miles.

 

definitely look at the tie rod ends, they are good for maybe 75k miles. the rubber inserts on the control arms crack, but in my case, they've been cracked for a long time and it drives fine and doesn't wear tires. check for oil leaks from the heads. also check for front bumper alignment or missing screws from the radiator support. those two things are removed all the time to work on the car, the condition of them will give you an idea of how well the car has been maintained and taken care of. also take a look at the engine wiring harness. bend the wires near the back of the engine where the heat is highest and look for cracks in the insulation. a shorted wire will mean a new ecu, i'm going through that right now.